Staring Into the Void
by JP-Morgana
Summary: In a freak accident while exploring a new world, everyone is separated. Sora and Riku face their true feelings for one another and their twisted history. Lea and Kairi go on a surreal trek where Lea has to face Roxas. And Maleficent is left up to her own twisted devices. As they begin to unravel the mysteries surrounding they will be torn apart, and their nature will be tested.
1. Awake

Page 9 of 9

Quick Author's Note. The pairings for this story are going to be Sora x Riku and Axel x Roxas. I feel the need to mention that because there are people who wouldn't read this without that promise. Both pairings will be central to the story, and both will certainly have their moments. It will take me a bit longer to get to one, but there will be a payoff for the wait.

}0{

The first thing Sora felt upon his arrival was a splash of cool water. The splash was momentary, and it was followed by a shallow wave engulfing his head and bust. Swallowing a healthy gulp of sea-water, he was shocked into waking awareness and jumped back. He coughed the water out painfully. He staggered into a standing position, and rubbed his eyes to do away with the blurry vision that came with laying face first in seawater. Once his eyes were cleared, he surveyed his surroundings.

He was shocked to see that he was home, on the Destiny Islands. He had woken up on the beach of the island he and his friends had spent their summers on, right under the bridge that connected the main part of that island to the small protrusion from the sea where he had often sparred with Riku, and where he had fought the Darkside heartless. "What?" He mumbled out loud. This wasn't right in the least. This isn't where he was trying to go. He was bound for a world that was far away from this one, a world on the outer reaches of known space.

Panic and bitterness began to set in. Panic because he had no idea what went wrong, only that whatever it was went horribly wrong, and bitterness because he couldn't enjoy his first visit home in what seemed like forever. There was nothing like rigorous training at Yen Sid's Tower for three months that could make a hero miss the blistering sun and glistening waves. Now he had to shove that from his mind and focus on more important things.

First, he had to find out what happened to the others. He had been traveling with Riku Kairi and Lea somewhere, he couldn't remember where. All that he knew was that it wasn't Destiny Islands. Worst of all, there was no one in sight. Sora began to search the island for any sign of his allies. He had the urge to dash around as fast as he could, moving as fast as his legs would take him. He wanted a friend as soon as possible. He darted around, looking in every crevice. He looked in the waterfall cave, through the obstacle course, around the docks, and still he found no one.

He bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Riku!? Kairi!? Lea!? Where are you!?" Nothing. Sora decided he had to get to higher ground. He went through a set of stairs in the clubhouse that led to a terrace above him. This gave him a view of half the island. He scanned the beach below him, and the dock to his right. Nothing. He was ready to give up when he saw silver on the ground in front of him. On the tiny island where he fought the Darkside, there was a flash of it. He barreled across the bridge to the tiny island, and as he did the flash of silver became Riku's hair and head. His body was obscured by a large tree trunk.

"Riku!" Sora kneeled down on the ground next to his unconscious friend. He grabbed Riku's shoulders and shook them viscously. Riku began to stir.

Groggily, he said, "Hm? What?" Upon hearing his voice, Sora enveloped him in a crushing hug. He opened his eyes slowly, squinting to hide from the sunlight. "Sora, what are you doing?"

"Riku, thank God! I thought I was out here all alone!"

Sora dropped Riku back on the ground, which shocked him out of his tired stupor. He stood up, and looked around. "We're on the Islands."

"Yep."

"How can that be? The last thing I can remember is us on the Gummi ship on our way to that mysterious world," Riku furrowed his brow and rubbed his temple. "Nothing after that comes to me."

"The ship was shaking, it almost felt like an earthquake. I fell over and hit my head on a console." Sora's hand instinctively shot up to the hairline between his forehead and scalp, feeling for any bumps that may be there. Sure enough, there was a sizable one. He flinched when he touched it. "Agh, it hurts."

Riku's hand instinctively flew to Sora's head. He pushed back his hair to get a better look. "You might have a concussion, we'll have to keep an eye on that." His hand lingered, and a worried expression flashed across his face.

Sora shooed Riku's hand away. "Yea yea, we can worry about that later. We've got more important things to think about right now. As far as I can tell, you and I are the only people on this island. We need to figure out where the others are. I'm worried about them, they might be in danger!"

Riku thought for a moment. "They're pretty strong people, I trust they can take care of themselves."

"But Kairi-"

"Is turning out to be a very capable Keyblade wielder. And she's smarter than either of us. I trust her to stay safe. No, I'm worried about Maleficent. We had her prisoner, and if she's roaming free now, then we're screwed."

Sora's eyes widened in realization. There had been a fifth member in their crew. "She could have caused the turbulence, for all we know."

"That's right. Ah, this is a problem. A really big problem."

"Well what do we do about it?" Sora asked.

Riku shook his head. "I don't know. I don't even know why we're here! Do we even have a way of getting out of here and back to the other worlds?"

Sora shook his head. "I don't' think so."

"The gummi ship? What happened to it?" Riku asked.

"I can't remember. But even if it is up there, Donald and Goofy always got us back up there. I never understood how it worked. We'd need them," Sora said.

"Maybe Chip and Dale will remember us," Riku said. "Maybe they know something and can come get us."

"Maybe," Sora said. If anyone could pilot that ship it was those two little rodents. "But I don't think so."

"Yea, neither do I." Riku sat on the horizontal tree trunk that he, Sora, and Kairi had sat on so many times. "We're probably marooned."

Sora leaned on the tree. "Yea. What will we do?"

Riku's eyes went to Sora's hairline again. "First we need to lay you down. That bump has me worried."

}0{

Maleficent had been walking free for hours. Her legs were burning and her staff-hand was cramping, but she kept her posture and gait. After King Mickey's Gummi ship had seemingly exploded, she had blacked out. She woke up on the side of a road in a very craggy and mountainous area. She was surrounded by nothing but gray rock and sparse vegetation. The air was dusty, and it choked her if she breathed in too deeply.

The sun was blistering, and her black robes didn't improve that situation. The inside of her cloak was drenched in sweat. But she kept walking because she had nothing, and she needed to find the things she needed to survive. She was thinking very intently of a soft bed and a hot meal when she spied a moving dot far ahead of her. As the dot became more clear, she saw that it was a canopied wagon being pulled by a horse and rider.

As the rider neared her, she weighed her many options. When the rider eventually rode near enough to her, she raised her free hand and called out, "Please, wait!" The rider slowed her horse. The woman sat on the edge of the wagon holding her horse's reigns. Maleficent peered into the wagon, and saw that there were stacks of boxes.

The rider was middle-aged. Her skin was worn by the sun, permanently tanned and spotted with freckles and wrinkles like a shriveled prune. Her face was pleasant but cautious, with wide and almost apologetic eyes. She wore patched, uncolored clothing, and a wide brimmed straw hat. "Yes, what is it?"

"Hello," Maleficent started. "Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Maleficent." She held out her hand.

The rider took it, and gave it a dainty shake, as if her grip would have broken Malefiecent's thin and dainty hands. "Hello. My name is Mary." The sleeve of Maleficent's robe fell back as she retracted her hand, and a severe-looking burn mark around her wrist was unveiled. "Oh dear, you look worn out. What happened to you?"

"An unfortunate accident has landed me here. I had hopped to be somewhere with civilization," Maleficent said. "However, I did manage to escape the people who did this to me." She held up her wrist, and even after she moved it back down, she made sure to keep it uncovered and in the woman's line of sight.

"Are you being pursued?" The woman asked, looking around worriedly.

Maleficent shook her head. "I doubt they even know where I am, or where they are. You see my dear, we are from very far away. And I'm afraid that I'm lost."

"Well, where do you want to go?" The woman asked. "I'm a deliverer, so I know these parts pretty darn well."

"The closest city will do."

"Then you'll want to just keep walking the direction you're walking in. You'll reach the city of Druada. It's a pretty big city, you should find something there."

Maleficent inclined her head. "Thank you."

"Do you need any food? I always bring extra with me. If you want some, I'm sure I could spare a bit," She said.

"Oh, yes, I'll be needing the food. But I'll be needing something else," She said.

"What is it?"

"Your heart." She held her staff out in front of her, and the yellow crystal atop it glowed black with darkness. The woman's heart did the same, and her eyes glazed over. Her body slumped, and her heart rose slowly out of her chest. It glowed bright before morphing into a small creature that was shaped from darkness, with jagged antennae and piercing yellow eyes. It stood on the rider's chest, looking dumbly at Maleficent, waiting for orders.

Maleficent looked at the thing with disappointment in her eyes. "The woman had a weak heart." She shoved the body off of it's cart, and took the woman's place." She gestured at the space next to her, and the Shadow climbed up to it and sat. "Come now, my pet. We have a long journey ahead of us. And then the real fun begins."

}0{

Far away, in a wooded area, Kairi and Lea stirred. They had ended up in a small clearing, surrounded by dense, green plant life. Any direction would be a battle to get through, complete with small thorny vines that covered everything. Sunlight poked through the canopy of the forest, barely illuminating it. Even so, it would take time for their eyes to adjust.

They woke at the same time, and for the same reason. Both of them felt a sharp metal object gently poking them in their stomachs, one just after the other. They both assumed that it was one of their allies. Lea rolled over from him back to his stomach, and tried to return to his slumber. Kairi sat up and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, so all that she saw was a light brown blur. "Who's there?" She asked, as she rubbed her eyes. When she lowered her hands, she saw what it was that was poking her. She screamed.

Lea heard her and sprung up. "What is it!?" The creature certainly wasn't human, though it was shaped like a human. It came up to the average man's waist, though it was hunched over. It's skin was lumpy, and colored a sickly brown. Clutched in it's long fingered hand was a short sword.

It was clearly spooked by Kairi's scream, and it jumped back. Kairi quickly stood up and summoned her keyblade. She looked to Lea and asked, "What is that!?"

"Hell if I know!" He held his hand out and tried to summon his keyblade, but nothing came of it. "Ah damn, not now! Summon! Summon!"

"Stay back!" Kairi shouted at the creature, brandishing her keyblade so it would back away. "Lea, what are you doing?"

"I can't call it!" He said frantically, holding out both hands, now.

"Damn it! Why a time like this?" Kairi said.

Through all of this, the creature was holding his sword in a defensive pose. He eyed them curiously, and stepped forward, as if to test the waters.

"Shoo!" Kairi said, and she lunged forward with her keybade to try to scare it. The thing jumped back and snarled. Then it lunged. It's sword shot straight at Kairi, as if to skewer her. She remembered her training, and the forms that Yen Sid had taught her. She stepped to the side and parried.

The creature drew back it's sword, then tried a strong swing at her legs. She blocked that, and then kicked the creature in the stomach. It staggered back. She used the moment of opportunity to swing out with her keyblade, and struck the creature on it's arm. It dropped it's sword and fell over.

With a cry of defeat, the creature scrambled on all fours away from Kairi, and tried to escape into the clearing. Kairi held her blade out in front of her, pointed straight at the thing. "Fire!" She shouted. A tongue of fire blazed out of her keyblade and soared at the creature, hitting it's back. It lost it's balance, and it's limb's went out from under him. Kairi ran toward it, hoping to finish the job.

But before she could, it scrambled, screaming in agony all the while, out of the clearing and it disappeared into the trees. "Damn."

Kairi un-summoned her blade, and breathed a sigh of relief. "That was scary."

"I'll say," Lea said.

"What was that thing?" Kairi wondered out loud.

"No idea," Lea echoed. "But I'd really like to find out."

"Think it'll be back?" Kairi asked.

"Dunno," Lea said, looking somewhat spacy. He looked at his empty hand. He took a moment to concentrate, and then his keyblade appeared. "I can't believe that didn't work before." He brandished it about, as if to prove that he really was holding it.

"Yea, but you had to put a lot of concentration into it, didn't you?" Kairi questioned. "I could see it on your face. Why does it take you that much concentration? I can do it easily, and I'm still new to this."

"Well I like working on fire magic a bit more than basic skills, if you know what I mean." He laughed awkwardly. "And I guess that I'm so used to summoning my Chakrams that I'm not able to call my blade up on command. I do miss those things," He said. "But the Keyblade's got more perks."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "Yea, mystical powers are pretty great. Still, we've got bigger things to worry about. For one, where are the others?"

"Dunno."

"And where are we?"

"Got me there."

She said sharply, "Well, we need to figure that out."

He held his hands up, "Hey, I agree with you alright."

Kairi shot him a dirty look. "Look, I really don't like your sarcasm. It's not helping anything."

Lea shook his hands, emphasizing their position. "Alright, alright. What do you think we should do?"

"We need to find some people, I guess. At least, I hope there's people. If it was just us and that ugly thing, I'd be really angry."

"Then let's just pick a random direction, and pray for the best. Sound like a plan?"

"I guess it's all we got right now."

He pointed in the opposite direction than where that the creature had gone. "That work?"

"I think it works well, yes."

"Ladies first," Lea said, gesturing.

Kairi stiffened. "I don't think so. Why don't you clear the way?"

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Lea asked. He furrowed his brow and shot her a quizzical look.

Kairi took a moment to gather her courage, and then said, "Yes it matters. I want to make sure I can always see you."

"Ah. I get it," Lea said, looking down in disappointment. "You don't trust me."

Kairi folded her arms and shook her head. "Not in the slightest, Axel."

"No, no, my name is Lea," he corrected. "New name, different person, kind of. It's complicated." He waved his hands in emphasis. "I promise you, I won't kidnap you again."

Kairi shook her head. "How do I know you haven't already kidnapped me?" She gestured at the forest around them, calling attention to how very alone they were. "How do I know that you didn't arrange for that ship to break apart?"

"Woah wait, the ship broke apart?" Lea asked.

"Yes, I saw it begin to just before I fell unconscious. Stop trying to change the subject. As far as I'm concerned, you're still on probation. There's a reason that we don't train together. It's because I asked Yen Sid to keep us separate. I don't trust you."

Lea slumped his shoulders in defeat. "It's not like I can really blame you. I did a crappy thing, a really crappy thing."

Kairi nodded. "Yes, you did. Really, what you did goes further than 'crappy'. You tried to kidnap me so you could turn Sora into a heartless. That's downright disgusting."

"But come on! That was the old me. This is the new me, this is the me that saved everybody's hide. Remember that? When I saved King Mickey and Queen Minnie? Or how about when I saved Riku and your little boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend, firstly. He's more like my brother. And second, how do I know that you're not just trying to get close to Sora again? And get a sweet Keyblade out of the whole deal? You're going to have to start doing things that aren't in your interests if you want my trust, do you understand?"

Lea rubbed his hand over his face, looking pensive. "Look, I know I'm on shaky ground here."

"No shit."

"But I'm going to prove it to you. I'll prove to you that I'm worthy of your trust. And if walking ahead of you is something that will help that along, and make you feel safe, then I'll do it."

"Good." She unfolded her arms and pointed at the forest. "Now go." Lea walked with slumped shoulders and and the expression of a kicked puppy, but Kairi wasn't moved.

As they walked, his cloak was torn apart by branches that jutted out from trees and thorny plants. Kairi was wearing a top with no sleeves, and a miniskirt. By the time that only an hour had passed, her arms and legs were severely cut up. She used a heal spell on herself, but in an hour she found herself doing the same thing again. The vegetation was so think that it was difficult for them to see past a few feet. For all they knew, they could be walking in circles, not making any actual headway.

A few hours had passed when Lea tripped and fell on an object jutting out of the ground. He fell shoulder first, and landed on it with his entire body weight. He looked behind him to see what it was that he tripped on, and he saw that it was a sword identical to the one that the creature from before had used. Kairi had to repress a laugh. Lea crawled around and picked it up.

He held it up so she could see it. "There's rust," he said. "This is old. That's not good."

"Why not?" Kairi asked.

Lea jumped up. "Well since it's rusty, we can assume it's been here a while. And the mere fact that we've run into another one means that there are probably more of those creatures. Now think about this, what are the odds that we would run across one of these swords?"

"Well we can't know," Kairi said with a hint of condesention. "We don't know how many of the things there are."

"Exactly. And the more that there are, the more likely we are to run into one of these. And the fact that it's rusty means that they have a history here, maybe even a long history. We could be talking about a civilization of them, and for all we know there are a bunch of those little things looking for us."

"That's not good," Kairi agreed. "What can we do?"

"Panic," Lea suggested. "There's nothing else we can change, except maybe our pace."

Kairi nodded in grudging agreement. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

"The Organization taught me many things, recon was one of them," He said. "We had a guy named Vexen that was pretty big on the whole observation thing, one of those scientist types."

"The Organization," Kairi said. "Of course."

"What does that mean?"

"Just keep walking," Kairi said in a voice that was both angry and restrained, her eyes narrowing and her arms folding across her chest again.

He sighed. "Yea yea," he said, and he started walking again. "I take it it was a mistake to bring up the Organizatoin?"

"I don't see how you could have avoided bringing it up. Your mistake was joining in the first place and then proceeding to-"

He cut her off, "I know what I did. You know, the Organization may not be as clear cut a group as-"

"Keep walking buddy. Keep walking and stop talking." Kairi's tone was a warning, and Lea clearly got the message.

}0{

After writing and rewriting this, I have finally completed my first chapter! I'm currently slow clapping for myself.

Thanks a ton for taking the time to read this. Please, if you guys saw even one small thing that you didn't like TELL ME! I will live on constructive critisizm for this story. I've been writing a lot in my spare time, but since I'm not publishing any of it I have no idea how good/bad I am. Please tell me what you liked and didn't like about it. It will go a very very long way for me as a writer, and for the improvement of this story going forward. Big hugs in advance for anyone who reviews. ^.^ If you review off of anon, I will respond. If you review on anon, thank you so much!


	2. Emergence

Maleficent felt as if she was betraying her title. There was no dignity nor grace in the wagon she rode, with it's dirty and half-starved horse pulling it. Horses were things for knights and servants, not the Mistress of All Evil. She felt small atop the tattered wagon, and worried endlessly that it would break and that she would be on her feet once more. But this was not the smallest she had felt, not even recently, and indeed it seemed a better fate to be riding herself, choosing her path, than to be chained up in the dastardly King's gummi ship. Worst of all, it had been own to her own foolishness.

It was she that had approached King Mickey with the suggestion they work side by side. She had detected this world at the edge of darkness and sent Pete to investigate it. There was an odd presence to the world, a power that filled Maleficent with dread and at the same time piqued her most morbid curiosity. But months had passed and there was nothing heard from her servant. Maleficent decided the world was too dangerous. While Pete's power was nothing compared to her own, his sense of self-preservation was something (the only thing) to be respected about him. If he couldn't survive it, there wasn't a chance that she could. Not alone. So she had written the world off and decided to let it be. But that wasn't the end of it.

Not long after that, she had been traveling from world to world when she found this one again. It was in a different place, much closer to the other worlds than before. And it's power had grown. So she had decided to petition for King Mickey's help. She entered his throne room during the hour that he hears the grievances of his citizens and told him everything. He listened carefully, and agreed that the world merited exploration. And he agreed that Maleficent should go, as she was the only one who knew the way. That was the moment that she momentarily lowered her guard, and King Mickey took advantage of it. Before she realized it, Donald had magical restraints around her wrists.

"We had them created the moment we heard you were back. Sorry Maleficent, but we just don't trust ya."

The restraints caused her pain that brought her to her knees, preventing her from concentrating enough to use magic. Maleficent recalled in shame how she had struggled and screamed, "Release me now, vermin king! I will not be a prisoner!" Even now as she recalled it, she felt her insides churn.

Donald had raised his staff and demanded, "Who do you think you're calling vermin!?"

Maleficent continued, writing on the floor, "Where I come from, ducks bathe in the ponds, mice die in traps, and dogs obeyed their masters! You're vermin, all of you! And I will not write below you!" But the more she called for her magic, the further away it seemed, and the greater the burning pain. She called for a forest of thorns, for her green flames, for a sleeping spell, and even for her dragon form, but nothing came.

Finally, out of breath and defeated, she came to terms with her situation on the floor of Mickey's Throne Room.

Maleficent looked at the burn marks on her wrists, where the restraints had clung to her skin as she banged them on every rock she could find. The mountainous area around her had provided many sharp stones that she tried, and her hands and forearm bore the freshly scabbing wounds to prove it.

Compared to that humiliation, she could handle a wagon-ride, she decided.

The shadow-heartless beside her eyed her as she drove. She recognized hunger in it's eyes. "Don't worry, my pet. You will not starve for long. Not far from here there is feast for you!" She gestured the road ahead. "You can have your fill and create for me more hungry heartless for me to command. Wyvrens, Soldiers, Defenders, Darkballs, Wizards, Nocturnes, and all the rest! Yes, from you, you tiny, pathetic shadow, I will create an army that I will loose upon this world, and then on to Disney Castle." Her cackles could be heard as an echo for miles and miles.

}0{

Sora and Riku looked up and down their island. They turned over every rock, checked every secret cave, and climbed to each treehouse. Not a soul was to be found on the entire island. And further, there weren't any boats either. For all intents and purposes, Sora and Riku were marooned, no way of getting off-world without a gummi ship, and no way to get to the mainland of their islands, to see family and friends.

Fortunately, when Sora and Riku were younger, they would spend entire weeks camping out on their island. They kept all of their sleeping bags and pillows and supplies in the treehouse near the docks. Even after years had passed, it was still there. As soon as they discovered it, Riku began unpacking it all from the crates they were stored in. Sora sat and watched, thinking he'd get in the way of Riku's system. Riku just dismissed him as being his usual lazy self,

"I can't believe that they left them here," Riku said. "I mean they forgot that we existed after Namine messed with the chains of your memory. You'd think they'd have cleared out all of this stuff if they didn't know where it came from."

"Maybe their hearts remembered," Sora offered.

"Thats a nice thought." Riku said. He pulled out dusty sleeping mats. Underneath sat equally dusty cans stacked on top of one another. "Hey, check it out Sora. Remember that year that my Dad taught us how to can food?" He pulled out a can for demonstration. "Look at this."

"Oh, I remember that. I can't wait to dig in! I'm starving."

"Let's make sure they're good first." Riku finished unpacking the food. He arranged it all around the treehouse, setting up a passable living space. "This should do just fine."

Sora groaned. "I'm going to hate not sleeping in a bed."

"Ah suck it up," Riku said. "When you were napping with Namine, I was sleeping wherever I could going world from world. This is a palace in comparison to some of what I put up with."

"Ah, I guess you're right." But under his breath, he said, "Show off." Riku heard that and smirked. He was glad that there were some things that never changed. Sora stood up and walked outside. "The sun's starting to go down. Do you want to watch the sunset like we used to?"

A small smile flashed across Riku's face, there for a moment and then gone the next. "I'd love to." He stood up and followed Sora. They stepped out onto a wooden walkway that wrapped around a gigantic tree that was at the center of their island. The two of them walked across it, and climbed down the ladder at it's base. They walked toward the beach, but then something caught Riku's eye.

"Sora look," He pointed to the small island where he woke up. "There's someone over there!"

"What?" Sora said. "But we checked the entire island. No one was here!" But indeed, there was a man standing there. Sora looked at him in disbelief. "I can't even recognize him. He doesn't look like an islander."

Riku started running. "Let's go get a good look at this guy."

"Right."

The two of them ran through the small shack that led to the bridge that connected to the small island. When they were on the bridge, they were able to see what the figure looked like. He was an average sized boy who looked to be 16. His blonde hair reached his mid-back, and his skin was olive. He wore a fine looking purple tunic and dark trousers. At his hip was a sword in a scabbard. His stood in a slouched hunch.

"Hey!" Sora called out.

The boy turned his head, and realized that there were two people approaching him. His hand instinctively rested on his scabbard, ready to steady it for a quick draw.

When Sora reached him, he said, "Hi! I'm Sora. What's your name?"

The boy turned fully and leaned forward. "This is a strange abnormality indeed," he murmured to himself.

"Huh?" Sora's face contorted into a confused expression. "I don't really know what you're talking-"

"What are you doing here?" Riku asked brusquely. "How did you get to these islands?"

The man's gaze swept over to Riku. "Islands? There are more than just this?"

"Yea," Sora said. "There are a couple other islands. There's the mainland, and-"

"Sora, that's enough," Riku said. "We don't know who this guy is."

"Oh yes forgive me," The man said. "My name is Julian." He extended his hand.

"Sora," Sora said, grasping Julian's hand tightly and shaking it furiously. "I'm so glad to meet you!" Riku tried to get a word in, but Sora powered through. "You're going to love it here on the islands. They're beautiful! We've got waves and sand and really good food. We even have cliff-diving!"

But Julian wasn't paying attention. He struggled to withdraw his hand, and when he did, he jumped back. "You have a powerful soul!" He said, as if accusing him.

Sora looked at him, perplexed. "Umm, sure?"

Riku stepped forward, "Who are you? And why is Sora's soul a problem?" He balled his hand into a fist, and readied himself to summon his keyblade at a moment's notice.

Julian gazed into his eyes. "Such resistance, don't tell me you have a strong soul as well. Yes, you do, don't you?" He stood straighter, and his voice became more confident. "Interesting. It seems I'm not the only Hero, anymore, now doesn't it?

"You're a hero?" Sora asked, even more perplexed than before.

Julian nodded. "A savior of sorts, some would say. I slay monsters and I squash bandits and such. I save the common folk."

Riku furrowed his brow at his use of that phrase. "What do you want here?"

"Oh, I only wanted to see what this was all about," Julian responded. "A little quest, if you like." He snickered to himself.

"A quest to do what?" Sora asked. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"To obtain information," he said. "Tell me, has this plane always been here, or has it gone through any recent alterations?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Riku said.

Sora added angrily, "Don't try to confuse us with your mumbo-jumbo!"

Julian eyed them carefully. "I see, you're not even aware of where you are. The gravity of all this escapes you."

Sora balled his fists. "Shut up!" Riku glanced, a hint of worry forming in the back of his mind.

Julian put his open palms up, "Hey, I only delivered the message." Sora glared at him, and Riku's gaze went back and forth between the two. There was silence for a time, neither party sure of what to do. It was Julian who moved first. He turned around and gazed out to the sea. "Simply beautiful. I'll be visiting you boys again." A green circle appeared on the ground in front of him, and he stepped on to it. In a bright flash of light, he was gone.

"We'll be waiting!" Sora almost screamed after him.

Riku put his hand on Sora's outstretched arm. "What are you doing? Calm down."

"Why should I!?" Sora demanded. His nostrils flared and he had a dangerous look on his face. "That guy pisses me off." He pointed furiously toward the area where Julian had stood.

"Sora, what's gotten into you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at yourself." He grabbed Sora's wrist and pulled his arm up. "You're shaking with rage." It was then that Sora became aware of himself. His face flashed with realization, then confusion, then a hint of shame.

"I really lost it," he said.

"Yea, it's kind of weirding me out. You were your usual friendly, quick to trust self, and then you just got pissed."

"I felt like I was ready to summon my keyblade at any moment. I was that angry. Man, what happened? Maybe there's just something about that guy?" He suggested.

Riku nodded it away, "Yea, maybe." But he was doubtful. He gazed out at the sea. Wanting desperately to change the subject from that strange encounter, he said. "You know, we still have a sunset to watch, if you're up for it." Riku didn't want to have to think about the boy they just encountered, nor what all that he said meant. He could already feel the wheels in his mind turning, and he wanted to put that off for as long as possible. He'd dealt with enough already that day.

Sora shook his head. "I'm too shaken. Tomorrow night?" Riku felt dejected.

But he simply nodded and said, "Sure, tomorrow night. In that case, let's get back."

"Don't go back just because of me. Stay here and watch if you want to," Sora said.

Riku shook his head. "No, I'm good." It wouldn't have been the same without him. The sunset wasn't what Riku came out here for, it was the fact that he'd have been watching it with Sora. He was desperate to relive those memories. He needed a break from all that had happened that day. The event on the ship flashed through his mind briefly, only adding to his sense of dread.

"Riku-"

"Let's go," Riku said, starting to walk across the bridge.

Sora caught up to him, and asked, "What do you think all that was about?"

As much as Riku wanted to put that away for the moment, it seemed that he wouldn't be able to. "I don't know. Based on what he said, something weird seems to have happened to the Destiny Islands."

"What could he mean? I couldn't make heads or tails of anything he said."

"Me neither."

Sora's face fell. "You couldn't understand it either?" He had been banking on Riku being able to explain it to him. But Riku shook his head. "Ah crap, then this is really bad, isn't it?"

Riku nodded, "Probably."

Sora became animated. "Why is it always this place? Out of all the worlds out there, there always seems to be something going on here!"

Riku forced a laugh, hoping to lighten his mood. It had the reverse effect. "I don't know. It's a mystery."

The two of them decided that they'd have to sleep in shifts that night, in case the boy came back, or something otherwise horrible happened.

}0{

Kairi walked with her keyblade drawn, ready to use it at any moment. Lea marched in front of her, his keyblade drawn as well. He was using it to hack at the branches and shrubs in their path. The forest was thick, and they could barely see past a few meters. He was hard at work, and tired. Kairi didn't care. "I know advanced blizzard spells," She spontaneously warned Lea. "I had master Yen Sid teach me a few more than usual. I had to make sure I was ready in case you put me or my friends in danger."

Lea swore he felt a cold wind from behind. He shivered. "I get that you don't trust me," He said. "But are the threats really necessary?"

Kairi puffed her chest and tried to make her voice sound threatening, "I just wanted to make sure we understood each other."

Lea rolled his eyes. "You know, you haven't quite mastered threatening yet. I'm sure you'll get there, though. Practice does make perfect."

"Shut up. We all can't be borderline sociopathic." She poked him with the back of her keyblade to somehow drive home her point.

This caught Lea off guard. "Ah! Hey, what was that for? And sociopathic? Really? I mean sure I could be callous sometimes, but that came with the job."

"Did you practice by kidnapping children from their homes?"

"No, that was a one time thing." Lea laughed, hoping that it was contagious. "I killed people," he said jokingly. He turned his head around to test the waters. Kairi glared at him. He snapped his head forward and resumed his pace. "Shesh, can't take a joke, can you? I was kidding. I mostly did recon for the Organization. I guess I just learned to do what was necessary to get what I needed."

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Oh yes. Your grand plan to get your boyfriend back by turning my friend into a heartless. How could I forget? Such a noble goal."

Lea felt her words felt like cold steel slicing into his heart. He looked at the ground, too ashamed to look anywhere else. "I know. It was so, so fucked up of me. If it makes you feel any better, I wish I didn't do it." He clenched his open hand into a fist. "I still don't know what I was thinking."

Kairi appraised his performance, looking for any hint that he was acting. Almost to her disappointment, she found none. "Just keep moving," She said, keeping the edge to her voice. She wouldn't buckle because of one tiny speech.

He nodded, accepting that this attempt to appeal to her was a failure. He resumed his hacking of the thick foliage that lay before them. He wanted desperately for her to like him. Sora had forgiven him the moment that he sacrificed himself for him, and even Riku was coming around to him. He had been told that Kairi had forgiven him, but his return apparently changed that.

"How can we know he didn't plan to come back to life? What if by sacrificing his nobody, he planned to get you to trust him, then he'd come back as a somebody, with a real heart, and then turn you into a heartless!?" She had asked Sora one day while Lea listened in an earshot.

"Not this again," Sora had groaned. Lea smiled at the memory, too afraid to laugh for fear of Kairi's reaction. At the very least, he had the guys on his side. He was actually surprised that he didn't have to work as hard to gain their trust. It was almost surreal. Riku had distrusted him at first, but after seeing that Sora trusted him his bravado slowly faded. It was only Kairi who distrusted him, but he didn't blame her.

Lea began hacking away at the vegetation even harder than before. He felt a burning fury rising in him. He was angry about the situation, he was angry that he was alone with Kairi, and he was angry at himself. He was so furious that they began to make double time.

After a considerable amount of slashing and hacking, there was a break in the foliage. "A road?" He asked out loud.

"What is it?" Kairi asked. "I can't see."

He stepped forward and looked in either direction. Indeed, there was a road that went both ways. For the first time since they'd landed, he felt the beginnings of hope. "It's a road!" He stepped out into it and punched the air triumphantly. It was large enough for two wagons to pass by each other, and the road was worn in a way that suggested that was a common occurrence.

"Which way do we go?" She asked curtly, hoping to minimize the talking. The previous few conversations they'd had left her tense, and by virtue of that alone she was beginning to feel worn out.

Lea looked in both directions, taking notice of every detail. He noticed scratch marks on nearby trees, and that the road traveling in one direction seemed more worn than the other. But really, that didn't tell him much of anything. "I don't know. Give me a moment."

Kairi didn't want to let Lea show her up again. She gazed out in both directions as well, taking in fewer details with her untrained eyes. But she did pick up on something else. "Lea, that direction seems brighter to me. I think we should go that way, it may be a shorter walk." She pointed right of where they'd emerged from the dense forest.

He smiled. "Oh, that's a good one. I didn't even notice."

"Don't patronize me," she said. His smile faded. She saw that, and something stirred in her. Before it had a chance to take form, she said to him, "Now start walking." And they continued on with as much tension as had been there before.

}0{

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to everyone who favorited this and reviewed, you guys are the best! I know that this took me a little while to get out, but it's pretty long so I hope that that makes up for it.


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